Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Come in."
A steady, firm knock sounded on the door. Hiruzen Sarutobi came back to his senses from deep thought and looked toward the entrance.
"Lord Hokage."
Minato Namikaze pushed the door open with a gentle smile. After stepping inside, he stopped in front of Hiruzen and bowed respectfully.
Seeing the energetic young man before him, Hiruzen also smiled.
"So you're back, Minato. Nothing unexpected happened on the way?"
Minato shook his head slightly.
"No. Kumogakure has been quiet recently, so our withdrawal went smoothly."
"Although, since you urged us to return so urgently, we had to march at full speed the entire way. Everyone is quite exhausted."
After a brief pause, Minato asked naturally:
"Lord Hokage, you called us back in such a hurry. Did something happen in the village?"
Minato looked directly at Hiruzen, a faint glimmer hidden deep in his eyes.
In truth, through his contact with Uchiha Ren , he already knew about the recent events in the village. His question was merely a test of Hiruzen's attitude.
Hiruzen sighed heavily.
"Minato… you don't know. There are bad elements stirring trouble in the village."
"Recently, certain members of the Uchiha Clan have been causing a great deal of disturbance. I had no choice but to recall you and several shinobi from the frontlines as a precaution."
Minato frowned slightly in surprise.
"We're all part of the same village. The Uchiha performed bravely on the battlefield. It shouldn't have escalated to this point, should it?"
"What exactly happened?"
Since Hiruzen had already begun treating Minato as the future Fourth Hokage, he did not hide anything.
Starting from the village's attempt to suppress the Uchiha Clan through the issue of compensation for fallen shinobi, he explained the entire chain of events from beginning to end.
Finally, Hiruzen summarized:
"This wasn't supposed to be a major issue. But certain people within the Uchiha Clan interfered, causing the situation to spiral off course."
"Now it's nearly completely out of control."
Minato silently shook his head inwardly but asked sincerely:
"Lord Hokage, from what I understand, before this incident the Uchiha hadn't done anything excessive. Why did the village target them in the first place?"
"It's not that the village targeted them," Hiruzen replied, glancing at Minato before speaking earnestly.
"Minato, you're still a bit too young."
"You must understand—if a village wants to develop, the first thing it must maintain is balance. No single clan can be allowed to dominate."
"This applies to the Uchiha Clan, and it applies to every other clan as well."
"But because the Uchiha are somewhat special, they must receive even closer attention."
"Special?" Minato asked.
"Because of their strength?"
"That's only part of the reason," Hiruzen explained.
"The Uchiha are the most powerful clan in Konoha. One could even exaggerate and say they are the strongest clan in the entire shinobi world."
"But precisely because of that, the Uchiha have always harbored a deep obsession with the Hokage position."
"When the village was first established, everyone supported the First Hokage. The Uchiha had no objections because he was stronger than them."
"But after the First Hokage's era, the Uchiha began to view the Hokage position as something that should naturally belong to them."
"However, the Hokage seat has never been decided simply by who has the most people or the strongest fists."
"If strength alone determined the Hokage, then we wouldn't need elections. We could simply hold a grand tournament and let the last person standing become Hokage."
"But would that really work?"
"When the First Hokage became Hokage, it wasn't merely because of his power—it was because he had the support of the entire village."
"But the Uchiha never understood this principle."
"From the moment the Second Hokage took office, they remained restless. During his administration, they even attempted a coup."
"When I first became Hokage, my position wasn't smooth either. The Uchiha were among those who protested the most."
"A clan with great power but no restraint is extremely dangerous."
"Without guidance, such power is the easiest to spiral out of control."
"Take this current incident as an example. The Uchiha First Elder, Uchiha Setsuna, has long been obsessed with becoming Hokage. Because he failed to obtain it, he harbors resentment."
"He completely ignored the village's actual circumstances and stirred up chaos."
"He even said that if the village refused to allow an Uchiha to become Hokage, then they would create a 'New Konoha.'"
"In that situation, if the village doesn't suppress the Uchiha, then who should it suppress?"
Minato nodded thoughtfully on the surface, as if enlightened.
But inwardly, he did not agree with Hiruzen's reasoning.
After all, Minato knew very well that this situation wasn't orchestrated by Uchiha Setsuna at all—
It was the work of Uchiha Ren .
Without Ren 's intervention, the Uchiha Clan would likely have endured the village's suppression as they always had in the past, swallowing their grievances silently.
Seeing Minato seemingly absorb his words, Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction.
After a moment, he changed the topic.
"Minato, besides preparing for possible trouble from the Uchiha, there's another reason I called you back."
"Just yesterday, Elder Koharu Utatane finalized a ceasefire agreement with Iwagakure."
"This war has finally come to an end."
"And it's about time for me to step down and make way for the next generation."
"This afternoon I will announce it to the village and begin preparations for the Fourth Hokage election."
"You should start getting ready."
Minato was stunned.
"So soon?"
This development was something even he had not expected.
Hiruzen exhaled a puff of smoke.
"We can't delay any longer."
"The village has been devastated by war. We need a major piece of good news to restore morale."
"Furthermore, the village treasury is running rather thin. We also need a proper reason to request additional funding from the Fire Daimyō."
"You don't need to worry too much."
"Even if I step down as Hokage, I can still serve as a village elder or Hokage advisor."
"I'll help you handle the difficult matters."
In truth, Hiruzen had his own difficulties.
During yesterday's negotiations with Iwagakure, Konoha had conceded significant benefits again. Meanwhile, Kumogakure's reparations had yet to arrive.
The village finances were genuinely strained.
Shinobi from the frontlines were returning one after another, and matters like pensions for fallen shinobi and battle rewards could no longer be postponed.
In the past, delays might have been acceptable.
But now the village was flooded with rumors criticizing him.
If the situation continued, his reputation would only deteriorate further.
The only option left was to temporarily step down as Hokage, using the Fourth Hokage election as a reason to request funds from the Daimyō while calming the rumors spreading through the village.
Of course, the election itself would only be held once all the frontline shinobi had returned.
Until then, the retired Third Hokage would still preside over the village's affairs.
Everything had changed—
And yet nothing had changed at all.
This was called advancing by retreating.
Hiruzen concluded:
"That settles it."
"Minato, go back and rest for now. Spend some time with Kushina and reassure her."
"Don't forget to attend the Jōnin Council meeting this afternoon."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Minato's thoughts were somewhat unsettled at the moment, so he said nothing further and quietly left the Hokage's Office.
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